Volleyball notebook: May equals national championships in full swing

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The 2010 under 17 and under 18 national championships get underway today in Abbotsford at TRADEX. Matches will be played from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Tickets can be purchased for $10 a day or $20 for the weekend with discounts for seniors and youths. More than 225 teams are expected to participate.

The tournament comes on the heels of last weekend’s under-14, under-15 and under-16 Eastern Canadian Open in Sherbrooke, Que., and the under-14 Western Canadian Open in Saskatoon.

The champions at the Eastern Open were in under 14 boys, the Niagara Rapids from St. Catharines, Ont., in Tier 1 and the Maverick Bandits from Ottawa in Tier 2; in under-16 boys the Storm Avalanche from Aurora, Ont., in Tier 1, the Durham Attack from Oshawa, Ont., in Tier 2 and the Ottawa Fusion Purple in Tier 3.

For the girls, the champions were in under -14 the Scarborough Titans Energy in Tier 1, the Maverick Gold Diggers from Ottawa in Tier 2, Ottawa Fusion in Tier 3, Toronto West in Tier 4; in under-15 Maverick Ambush from Ottawa in Tier 1, Les Lilbellules de Joliette, Que., Tier 2, Ottawa Fusion Red in Tier 3, MAC from Hamilton in Tier 4 and Moncton Roofers in Tier 5; in under16 Division 1 the Durham Attack Black from Oshawa in Tier 1, Gatineau Griffons in Tier 2, Lynx de la Rive Sud from Candiac, Que., in Tier 3 and the Hybrides from Sorel, Que., in Tier 4; in under-16 division 2, MAC in Tier 1 and DRVC Orange from Whitby, Ont., in Tier 2.

At the under-14 Western Canadian Open, the victors were for the boys Winman Tide from East St. Paul, Man., in Tier 1, CW Vertex from Calgary in Tier 2 and Focus Aerial Assault from Burnaby in Tier 3.

For the under -14 girls in division 1, U13 Shock from Winnipeg in Tier 1, CVC Brandon in Tier 2, Queen City Royal from Regina in Tier 3 and Wakaw Warriors in Tier 4. In Division 2, Saskatoon Smash in Tier 1, RVC Thunder from Regina in Tier 3 andBig Bear from Fort McMurray, Alta., in Tier 4.

Darryl Shank of London, Ont., was named to the first team all-MIVA team. Shank, led the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons and the conference in kills per set at 4.72. That tally currently ranks him at 7th overall in the NCAA. Shank posted a season-best 35 kills in a five-set match with Lewis earlier this season.

Meanwhile at HarvardUniversity in Boston, Erik Kuld of Toronto was selected to the EIVA All-Academic team. Kuld, a senior molecular and chemical biology concentrator, carries a 3.51 GPA and was an integral part of the Crimson offense this season. He played in all 76 sets, tallying a team-high 322 kills. He ranked 16th in the nation with 4.24 kills per set. Kuld closed out his career with 757 kills, 332 digs and 65 blocks.

Familiar face for coach

(LeDroit) There was a familiar figure for Glenn Hoag, head coach of the men’s national volleyball team this week at a selection camp. Among the 45+ players on hand was his 21-year-old son Christopher Hoag. “It was a little strange,” said Christopher Hoag. “The last time my father coached me was when I was very young. Full story

UBC lands star player

(Abby News) For Mennonite Educational Institute volleyball star Jenelle Franz, a scholarship offer from the UBC Thunderbirds was a Godfather-type proposition. As in, an offer she couldn’t refuse. Such is the lure of playing for the T-Birds, who have established themselves in recent years as Canada’s dominant women’s volleyball squad. They’re the three-time defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) champs, and when head coach Doug Reimer came calling for Franz, the soft-handed setter was elated. Full story